She's totaled!

[ampm7]

Awhile back, I had mentioned that I went down on my 2016 Eldorado. Well she has been totaled by the repair facility in San Diego, Ca.. $19,000 smackeroos!; that is parts and labor. They even totaled the swing arm. There was nothing wrong with it. But the insurance company wanted to do it this way, so I obliged. So, I picked up this gem from Mark at MG Classics. 1998 V11 and in real good condition. It had not been run in a year as the owner was in poor health and subsequently passed away. But it had been taken care of and has 25,000 miles. Mark went through it and I am doing the same as the tank has a considerable amount of varnish in it and needs a re-do. It even has all the Hepco & Becker bags on it! I wanted a touring bike as that was what the Eldo was because I like taking trips. The only things that are odd about the bike are the kickstand and the heel/toe shifter. It takes Hercules to move that kickstand and I don't like having to make upshifts with the heel. It will take some getting used to. You'd be hard pressed to find a better touring bike for $3500. The payout may be more than I paid for the Eldo so, there is a beautiful Honda CB1100 a 1/2 mile away from my house. I made an offer, he accepted it; contingent on me receiving a check (the 'check is in the mail'). That motor just purrs... Sorry for the fuzzy picture.         

[guzzisteve]

Looks familiar!!


turned somehow

[fotoguzzi]

The kickstand. You can remove one of the two springs so it won't be as hard to deploy.

Funny you didn't dislike the foot brake with that nub. If you give it a little time I bet you'll like all the quirks.

[ampm7]

I took the nub off the brake pedal. I did order an MRA Vario C-Flow windshield as that windshield on the bike is humongous! Plus I hate looking through a windshield particularly on turns. The new one should be a lot better. I figured while I have the tank off, I might as well do the air/fuel filters as well. Plus a new steering damper is on the way. Had to repair a crack in the left side cover; although it didn't show visually. Had to tie down the license plate as it vibrated and made some racket, as only two bolts were through it. One major plus is that it has the external oil filter. All in all, a good purchase as I had one of them before.     

[n3303j]

Kind of looks like one of these.
Pull off the sidestand and clean and lube everything well.
That stand should deploy and work quite smoothly.
Do not remove the second spring.
If you only have one spring and it fails the stand will deploy and shut off the engine, probably during a turn.
If there is no kill switch you will still have a deployed stand that locks under load and flips you off your bike first left turn.
Second spring is a safety backup.
(I did have the single spring fail on my T3 but spotted it before my first left turn)

[Tom]

Too bad on the Eldo but youse got a twofer. 

[azguzzirep]

My 98 had less than 25k on it when I bought it. Now has 50k km.

[twowheeladdict]

Sometimes, having a bike stolen or totaled is the best way to move on to a new bike. 

I know I could not sell most of my bikes for anything close to what an insurance company would give me for them. 

Glad you were able to work it out and now have a couple to chose from. 

[malik]

While you have the fuel pump out, pay particular attention to the hose between filter & plate. The 1100 Cali's have a reputation for that hose melting off - there were suggestions that the original hose was not fuel submersible. Best replaced with a section of Gates SAE 30R10, 5/16ths & stainless hose clamps. If it sports the original plastic/metal filter, replace that with an all metal one while you're at it. A sudden "failure to proceed" on the road is so inconvenient.

[ampm7]

Going through the service records it appears that the previous owner renewed all the hoses and had them encapsulated in stainless. But I will know for sure when I take the tank off. Thanks for the info...I know the head oil lines have been replaced with high quality stainless over rubber(?) as I can see them. Everything is very clean but I will inspect everything when I take the tank off. I'm itching to take it for a ride and will do so tomorrow morning. Put in some gas and some Marvel Mystery oil (although Mark put in Seafoam) to clean the injectors. Just enough so I don't have a full tank when I drain it. Maybe 30+ miles to get used to the bike and it should be good. Bought a tailbag, (incredible Black friday deal from Viking) and put all my tools in for emergency repairs. Bike is looking good...       

[ampm7]

I tried to get these photos on, but it may not work...       

   

[Bert Remington]

I'm confused.  Your first pictures showed a locking MG top case and now you're showing a similar sized Viking top case.  What happened?

[ampm7]

I took off the cases for just riding around. If I do a trip, they go back on. Easy to remove and put back on as the HB bags are high quality. The tailbag fits everything I need to take with me; tire repair, sockets, hex keys, adjustable wrench, screwdrivers, fasten down wire, electrical tape, plus helmet visor cleaner, rags, zip ties, velcro ties, Benadryl for bee stings, full cover, extra earplugs etc. Incidentally, Mark at MG Classics is idle right now. If you are in SoCal and neighboring states he is willing to help on repairs to your Guzzi plus, he has a lot of excellent Guzzi's for sale.

[Bert Remington]

Thanks for the list and understand about the MG cases.  I always ride with a Givi locking top case (30L or 47L) with my PPE that fits my helmet.  Since the V7 III is my UAV (Urban Assault Vehicle) I need a locking case to ensure my helmet is still there when I return.  Thanks for the MG Classics suggestion.  GPM has a 3-week service backlog and I haven't been to Signal Hill for a few years.

[ampm7]

Yeah, Mark is great and a character.

[Loop Tonti EV]

While you have the fuel pump out, pay particular attention to the hose between filter & plate. The 1100 Cali's have a reputation for that hose melting off - there were suggestions that the original hose was not fuel submersible. Best replaced with a section of Gates SAE 30R10, 5/16ths & stainless hose clamps. If it sports the original plastic/metal filter, replace that with an all metal one while you're at it. A sudden "failure to proceed" on the road is so inconvenient.

This does not pertain to the 98 EV. The fuel pump as well as the filter are outside the tank as they are on my 2001. It is a good idea to inspect the fuel lines but none of them are submerged in fuel.

[malik]

Well, that bit of advice certainly fell on infertile ground. Lucky you. I've always felt that the proper place for a fuel pump is outside the tank, but I understand why it's done, there's just not a lot of available real estate. I trust that you'll enjoy the clean up process & catch anything amiss.

[ampm7]

Yes, I've had to mess with those inside tank filter/pump before on bikes and it is a little bit more work. Since this is my 5th Guzzi, I will look at all the possible problem areas. Once inspected/fixed the bike should give many miles of trouble free cruising.